What Purpose Does Dishonesty Serve?

In a post on the White House official Blog, Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director, announced that Republicans were preparing to shut down the government if they take control of the House in the November elections. That’s correct: the president’s director of communications is using official White House channels to accuse the GOP of readying the total stoppage of all government action in the country.

To say that this accusation is far reaching is an understatement. To say that it is dishonest would also be an even bigger understatement. Pfeiffer quotes Dick Morris as saying there will be a shutdown. What a source! The truth is that no one knows what will happen if the GOP takes congress. We do know that the Republicans will cut the budget. That will leave the choice of shutting down the government to the president. He can veto the spending bills that get passed and force a shutdown, or he can take the funds appropriated by Congress and carry out his legal responsibilities. It will be Obama who makes the choice.

More important, however, is what this says about our first self proclaimed post partisan president. Obama said he would bridge the gap between the parties. If that were true, he would naturally thrust himself into a negotiation with the GOP if they take control, so that the government could proceed on an agreed course. That is not what the White House is saying. Obama is making clear that he will continue to be extremely partisan. His claim to being post partisan was just another campaign lie from a man who is now known as no defender of the truth.

I have to wonder what purpose all of this dishonesty serves. Does the White House really believe that it can fool the American people at this point? After nearly two years of garbage spewing from the White House, do they expect anyone still to be taken in? What of the stimulus keeping unemployment below 8%? What of Obamacare cutting healthcare costs? What of the tale that one could keep his own healthcare plan if he so desired – even though we now find out that more than half of all existing plans will have to be phased out? What of Obama being totally on top of the clean up in the Gulf? The list goes on. The American people are in on the secret. Obama can no longer get away with this crap. So again the question: Why lie about things like this? The only answer has to be that the White House continues to hold the American people in contempt. Surely, they will not recognize the truth. Surely, they will be taken in by the lie. But they are wrong. And they will learn just how wrong they are on Election Day.